Telephone timer

ABSTRACT

A time recorder for recording elapsed time by stamping on a card the starting and terminating times, including a slot into which the card is inserted and a striking hammer that swings transversely of the slot to press the card against a printing ribbon and a time stamp.

O United States Patent 1 1 [111 3,800,301 Danke Mar. 26, 1974 TELEPHONETIMER 908,971 1/1909 Dey 346/84 x 1,262,703 4/1918 Ross [75] E Dank,Petersham, 1,469,988 10/1923 Bryce et al 346/145 ass.

[73] Assignee: Simplex Time Recorder Co., Examiner joseph Hana,

Gardner Mass' Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Norman S. Blodgett; Gerry [22]Filed: Mar. 20, 1972 A. Blodgett [21] Appl. No.: 236,358

[57] ABSTRACT 346/84 g6 g53 A time recorder for recording elapsed timeby stam [58] i 84 83 82 ing on a card the starting and terminatingtimes, ina 3 2 eluding a slot into which the card is inserted and astriking hammer that swings transversely of the slot to press the cardagainst a printing ribbon and a time [56] References Cited stamp UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 487,433 12/8192 Stahlberg 346/91 15 Claims, 17 DrawingFigures memmmesmn 3.000.301

sum '01UF10 PATENTEDums m4 3.000.001

sum '02 or 10 PATENTEUnaazs I974 sum 03 HF 10 FIG.4

FATENTEDMARZB i974 3.800.301

saw on HF 10 PATEN TED MAR 2 8 I974 3. 00.301 sum 09 or 10 TELEPHONETIMER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many situations in thebusiness world where it is desirable to record both a beginning time anda finishing time for an event for eventual conversion to a figureindicative of elapsed time. Such a situation exists in the case of thetiming of long distance telephone calls. For this purpose, the telephoneoperator is provided with a time recorder having a slot into which sheinserts a card for each long distance telephone call made. She insertsthe card and presses an actuator so that the starting time is printed onthe card. After the telephone call is over, she again inserts the samecard and presses the same handle to record the time again. A timeinterval is shown, this often being accomplished on a dial which isprinted on the card. Since the operator has limited space on herconsole, it is desirable that this time recorder be quite thin and thatit be adapted for flush mounting. In addition, modern business methodshave led to optical scanning of such cards for the purpose of computingbills. In the past, time recorders have suffered from a number ofdisabilities that prevent this type of operation from being entirelysuccessful. For one thing, the limited space available in thin timerecorders has resulted in a printed character that isnot clear anddistinct. Furthermore, under certain conditions, the time printingwheels, particularly those which are faster moving (such as the l/lOthof a minute wheel) often rotate to positions between characters, so thatno character is printed, and the optical scanner is unable to find acharacter to record. Attempts to move such a wheel incrementally toassure that one character or another is properly centered at the momentof printing has not only resulted in gain and loss of time in the totalrecording of the time stamp, but also has resulted in worn pawls andratchets for accomplishing this purpose. These and other difficultiesexperienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novelmanner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide atime recorder which, although small in size, is capable of giving aclear printed character.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a time recorder inwhich the fastest moving time wheel is driven continuously to avoid theuse of pawl and ratchets, but which, nevertheless, centers eachcharacter adequately.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a timerecorder capable of giving a printed image particularly adaptable tooptical scanning.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a time recorderin which one of the time stamp wheels is continuously driven, in which,at the time of printing, the nearest character is brought into apredetermined line, and in which, after printing, is returned to theposition at which it would have resided if printing had not taken place.

A still further object of the invention is the provision ofa timerecorder having time print wheels operated by pawls, in which the wheelsare securely locked against movement except at the moment when a pawlengages a wheel, and in which the unlocking mechanism is not capable ofaccidentally moving into a condition where all of the wheels remainunlocked.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a time stamp of thepawl-and-ratchet type which is provided with a locking means which isvery unlikely to accidentally catch in unlocked condition.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a time recorderwhose elements are readily accessible for inspection and repair.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a time recorder ofsimple and rugged construction which is capable of a long life of usefulservice with a minimum of maintenance.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and covered by the claims appendedhereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the invention consists of a timerecorder having a housing with a slot into which a time card can beinserted, having a time stamp located in the housing at one side of theplane of the slot, and having an inking ribbon lying adjacent the timestamp. A striking hammer is located on the other side of the plane ofthe slot. Means is provided associated with the hammer to store energyand release it suddenly to move the hammer toward a card lying in theslot and driving it against the ribbon and the time stamp.

More specifically, the time stamp is provided with means for driving itsfastest moving wheel continuously and yet providing for lining up acharacter when the energy is suddenly released and returning the wheelto its original position before that time. The time stamp is providedwith a locking bar to prevent movement of most of the time wheels exceptwhen a pawl engages a ratchet, the mechanism being provided to releasethe locking bar at that time and returning it to locking position afterthe ratchet has moved a wheel.

The housing is built in two parts that are hingedly related for readyaccess to the interior. A slot is provided with two portions that lie instaggered relationship to permit successive stamping of the card atdifferent positions thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The character of the invention,however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structuralforms, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a time recorder embodying the principlesof the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the recorder,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the time recorder,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the time recorder with a cover removed,

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the recorder,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the portion of the recorder,

FIG. 7 is an end view of the portion of the recorder taken on the lineVIIVII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the invention taken on the lineVIII-VIII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of another portion of the recorder,

FIG. 10 is another side elevational view of a portion of the recorder,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the invention taken on the line XIXI ofFIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a portion of the recorder,

FIGS. 13, 14, and are horizontal views of the portion of the recordershown in FIG. 12 illustrating the method of operation,

FIG. 16 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the recorder takenon the line XVIXVI of FIG. 9, and

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the elements shown in FIG.16.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1,wherein are best shown the general features of the invention, the timerecorder, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown inoperative position on the deck 11 of a telephone operators console. Asheet metal cover 12 covers most of the mechanism, but an entranceabutment 13 extends through the cover and is provided in its upper partwith two slots 14 and 15 into which a time card can be inserted. Anoperating PRINT handle 16 is pivotally attached to the abutment 13 bymeans of a hinge pin 17 and normally rests against a stop pin 18extending from the upper part of the abutment 13. The cover 12 isprovided with an aperture 19 for a purpose to be explained more fullyhereinafter. Between the slots 14 and 15 extends a divider wall 21, andthe slots 15 and 14 are provided with the indicia IN and OUT,respectively. The cover 12 is provided with a window 22 through whichcan be seen time elements forming part of the mechanism.

It should be noted that the surfaces of the slots 14 and 15 are slantedtoward the divider wall 21 and that they are non-coextensive by asubstantial amount in such a way that a time card inserted in one slotis displaced by that substantial amount from a time card placed in theother slot.

In FIG. 2 it can be seen that the underside of the deck 11 is providedwith a box-like sheet metal enclosure 23 into which a portion of thetime recorder extends. In this view, it can be seen that the undersideof the handle 16 is provided with a plastic pad 24 which engages the topend of a vertical plunger 25 which is vertically slidable relative tothe entrance abutment 13.

As is evident in FIG. 3, the plunger 25 is spaced.forwardly of theentrance abutment 13 by a substantial amount. It can be seen that thestop pin 18 engages a small notch 26 formed on the upper edge of one ofthe legs of the handle 16.

In FIG. 4 and subsequent figures of the drawings, the cover 12, the deck11, and the enclosure 23 are all removed. In FIG. 4 the non-coextensiverelationship of the slots 14 and 15 is very clearly shown. Thesubstantial distance by which they are non-coextensive is indicated bythe reference character a and, ultimately, this results in the timebeing printed on the time card along different spaced lines when thecard is first inserted in the slot 15 and then inserted in the slot 14.

Generally speaking, the time recorder consists of a frame 27 dividedinto two portions, a time portion 28 and a stamp portion 29, theportions being hinged for vertical swinging motion about one end withthe pivot being provided by a vertical shaft 31. On the upper surface ofthe time portion 28 is an indicator 32 which is keyed to a shaft 33 andis divided into a dark portion (preferably colored red) and a lightportion (preferably colored white), these portions appearing through theaperture 19 of the cover 12 on occasion. A suitable stop pin 34 engagesone side of the indicator on occasion. Extending from the top of thetime portion 28 is a shaft 35 to which is keyed a gear 36. This gearengages another gear 37 mounting on a protruding end of a vertical shaft38 which is parallel to and spaced from the shaft 35. Also keyed to theshaft 38 but at a different vertical level from the gear 37 is a smallgear 39. This gear is connected by a timing belt 41 which also extendsaround a gear 42 mounted in the frame 27 and adapted to drive a seriesof time clock wheels 43 which are located so that they can be seenthrough the window 12 (see FIG. 1)

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the stamp portion 29 with the time portion28 removed. The plunger 25 is shown as being slidably mounted forvertical movement in bearings 44 and 45 carried in top and bottom plates46 and 47, respectively of the frame. A coil spring 48 holds the plunger25 in normally upwardly-biased condition and only by pressing downwardlyon the handle 16 is it moved vertically downwardly. A lever 49 isswingably mounted on a pivot pin 51 carried on an extension 52 of thebottom plate 47. One end of the lever 49 is pivotally connected to thelower end of the plunger 25 by a hinge pin 53, while the other end isconnected by a hinge pin 54 to a vertical bar 55. The upper end of thebar 55 is pivotally connected by a pin 56 to an extension of a plate 57rotatably mounted on a horizontal shaft 58 mounted in the frame 27.Swingably carried on the plate 57 is a pawl 59 which is resilientlyurged inwardly toward the shaft 58 by a spring 61. The pawl is thusurged into contact with a row of ratchet teeth 62 formed on the outerperiphery of a rotatable element 63 rotatably mounted on the shaft 58independently of the movement of the plate 57. A pair of parallel arms64 and 65 are pivotally mounted at one end on the shaft 31 and at theother end secured to a hammer plate 66. Another pair of arms 67 and 68are also pivotally mounted on the shaft 31 but, of course, spacedinwardly from the arms 64 and 65. The ends of the arms 67 and 68 notpivoted on the shaft 31 are joined by a bar 69. Pressing against thisbar is a U- shaped spring 71, the legs of which are wrapped around theshaft 31 and secured thereto to act as a torsion spring. A leaf spring72, which is of a generally U- shaped configuration when viewed fromabove, has one leg welded to the plate 66 and the other end free butoverlying the bight of the spring 71 and resting against the bar 69. Thelegs 67 and 68 rest on an annular row 72 of cams which are integral withthe element 63 rotatably mounted on the shaft 59, that is to say, thesecams are integral and move with the ratchet teeth 62.

Mounted at the forward part of the stamp portion 29 of the frame is alatching bar 73 which serves to hold together the free ends of thehinged time portion 28 and stamp portion 29. The upper part of the plate57 is provided with a notch 74 within which lies the tapered lower endof a finger 75. This finger is bent around through an opening 76 in aback wall of the stamp portion 29 and will be described more fullyhereinafter. In this view can be seen an electric motor 77 hangingdownwardly from the time portion 28 of the recorder as well as thetiming belt 41 and the gear 42.

FIG. 6 shows the inner side of the stamp portion 29. Only a smallportion of the time portion 28 is shown along with the hinge shaft 31.This view shows how the ends of the spring 71 extend through suitableapertures in a back wall of the frame and engage the shaft 78. This viewshows how the finger 75 protrudes through the opening 76 and extendsalong the inner surface of the frame. It is provided with slots whichride along pins 79 and 81 so that it is capable of horizontal slidingmovement. The finger 75 is, therefore, connected to an elongated bar 82and, on this bar is slidably mounted another bar 83 which is similarlyprovided with an elongated slot slidable on the pin 81 at one end and atits other end it is connected by a spring 84 to a pin extending from thefront of the bar 82 and slidable in a suitable slot in the bar 83. Inother words, the bar 83 not only slides horizontally with the bar 82 butalso is capable of independent sliding against the tension of the spring84. Finally, from the lower end of the bar 83 extends a finger 85 whosepurpose will be explained more fully hereinafter. Mounted in the stampportion 29 is a vertical shaft 86 around which is wound a printingribbon 87. The other end of the ribbon 87 is wound around a shaft 88which is also vertically mounted in the stamp portion 29 at the forwardend thereof. Extending from the bar 82 is a pawl 89 engaging a ratchet91 mounted at the top of the shaft 86 to cause winding of the ribbon 87from the shaft 88 to the shaft 86.

Referring now to FIG. 7, it can be particularly seen here that the slots14 and are provided with sloping surfaces 92 and 93, respectively, whichassist in leading a time card downwardly into the narrow slot. It can beseen in this view how the divider wall 21 serves to define the two slotsleading down through the entrance abutment 13 into the interior of themechanism. This figure of the drawings shows the rivets 94 and 95 bywhich the latching bar 73 is pivotally attached to the frame. The finger75 is shown folded around the wall through the opening 76 and the pawl89 is shown engaging the ratchet 91. A small Iocking pawl 96 formed ofsheet metal is shown engaging the ratchet 91 also.

FIG. 8 shows the manner in which the latching bar 73 is provided with abarbed end 97 which engages a post 98 provided on the time portion 28.It can be seen that the leg 67 is provided with a tooth 99 which isadapted to fall into the notches or cams in the cam row 72. It can alsobe seen that the hammer plate 66 is provided with striking pads 101 and102 which operate through slots formed in the back wall of the frame,the slots being indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 6 and given thereference numerals 103 and 104.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the inner and outer side views, respectively, of thetime portion 28 of the recorder. The structure is made up of an upperand a low plate 105 and 106 held in spaced parallel relationship byposts 107 and 108. Legs 109 and 111 extend downwardly from the plate 106and combine with the extension 52 on the stamp portion 29 to support therecorder on a flat surface when necessary. The output shaft of the motor77 is connected through a coupling 112 to the shaft 35 which, as hasbeen described in connection with FIG. 4, is provided with a gear 36where it extends above the plate 105. This gear operates through thegear 37 on the shaft 38 through the gear 39 and the timing belt 41 todrive the gear 42 and, therefore, the time clock wheels 43. The rotationof the shaft 35 also causes rotation of a gear 113 which drives a gear114 mounted on a vertical shaft 115. This, in turn, drives a gear 116mounted on a shaft 117. A pawl plate 118 is swingably mounted on theshaft 117 and is reciprocated by a cam 119 mounted on the shaft 35. Acam follower 121 transfers the cam motion to the plate 118. This camplate operates a series of pawls which, in turn, operate various wheelsrotatably mounted on the shaft 106; these elements constitute a timestamp 122 of the type shown and described in the United States patent ofDeane et al., US. Pat. No. 2,355,514 which issued on Aug. 8, 1944.Basically, what happens is that the reciprocatory swinging motion of theplate 118 causes pawls to engage ratchets associated with the timewheels and to move them in such a way that suitable timing charactersappear in a vertical line. Associated with the time stamp 122 is a shaft123 carrying locking pawls and a locking bar 124.

As can be seen from an examination of FIGS. 10 and 11, the indicator 32mounted on the shaft 33 is rotatable with that shaft. In the lower partof the shaft is carried a bellcrank 125 having one arm provided with aplastic protective sleeve 126 which engages the rolled up portion ofaribbon 87 on the shaft 88 of the stamp portion 29. The other arm of thebellcrank is connected by a coil spring 127 to a ring 128 surroundingthe shaft 108.

In FIG. 12, it can be seen that the shaft 35 and the gear 113 areconnected by an unusual lost motion device. Two spaced parallel collars129 and 131 are keyed to the shaft 35, while the gear 113 is free torotate on it. A peg 132 is fixed to the gear 113 and extends verticallyupwardly into a peripheral slot 133 (see FIG. 13) formed in the gear113. A similar peg 134 is fixed to a washer 135 which is also rotatablymounted on the shaft 35 and underlies the gear 113, and this peg 134extends vertically upwardly and downwardly from the washer 135. Itextends upwardly through a slot 136 formed in the gear 113 and into anotch 137 formed on the periphery of the collar 131. Th washer 135,incidentally, is also formed with a notch 138 through which the pin 132extends to terminate close to the collar 129.

In FIG. 13 it can be seen that the gear 116, which is integral with theseconds wheel 139, is provided with a star wheel 141. Resting on thisstar wheel and on the gear 114 associated with the shaft 115 is a plate142. This plate is provided with elongated apertures 143 and 144 throughwhich the shafts 117 and 115, respectively, extend. These apertures areelongated to allow motion of the plate in a horizontal plane in adirection of a line joining the shafts 117 and 115. The forward edge ofthe plate 142 is provided with a notch 145 (see FIG. 9 which is adaptedto engage the finger 85 on the bar 83 (see FIG. 6) when the time portion28 and the stamp portion 29 are in closed locked condition. To theunderside of the plate 142 is attached a pointed cam 146 which isadapted .to engage the star wheel 141 when the plate 142 is moved to theright in FIG. 14. This is for the purpose of aligning the characters onthe seconds wheel 139 so that they are exactly in line with thecorresponding characters in the time stamp 122. Finally, surrounding theshaft 35 is a spring 147 which is coiled around the shaft and has onearm which engages the pin 134 to thrust it in one direction and anotherarm which engages the pin 132 to thrust it in the other direction. Inthe position of REST, the spring 147 presses the pin 134 to the far sideof the notch 137 in the collar 131 and to the far side of the notch 138in the washer 135. The pin 134 is fixed to the washer 135, extendsthrough the slot 136 in the gear 113 into the notch 137 in the collar131. Its lower end also resides adjacent the collar 129. As can be seenin FIG. 14, when the operator presses the handle 16 to stamp a timecard, the cam 146 engages the teeth on the star wheel 141 and thisaligns a character 148 with the rest of the characters on the time stamp122 for the stamping operation. When the handle 16 is released, however,the energy stored in the spring 147 drives back in the manner shown inFIG. and returns the star wheel and the seconds wheel 139 to itsoriginal condition before the stamping operation started, so that notime is lost. In other words, the mechanism represented by the collar129, the washer 135, the gear 113, and the collar 131 operating with thespring 147, the pins 132 and 134, and the various notches and slotsprovide a lost motion device which allows the seconds wheel 139 to bemoved in either direction to line up its closest character to thecorrect position and then will return the seconds wheel to the conditionit would have occupied if this compensating motion had not taken place.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, the shaft 117, as has been stated, isprovided with time wheels, each of which is provided with an integralratchet wheel, the time wheels and ratchet wheels being independentlyrotatable on the shaft 117. A typical ratchet wheel 149 is shownprovided with notches 151 whose leading edge is provided with a radialsurface and whose trailing edge is inclined to a radial line, whichwheel is driven by a pawl 152 having one end pointed to engage thenotches 151 and the other end pivotally connected to a shaft 153 whichis carried with the pawl plate 118 as it swings about theshaft 117. Toprevent the wheel 149 from turning as the pawl 52 is dragged back overits surface on the return swing of the pawl plate 118, there areprovided a series of locking pawls 154 rotatably mounted on a shaft 115.It will be noted that its operative portion has a right angle cut toengage the leading edge of the notch 151 and an inclined portion whichcan engage the inclined trailing surface of the notch 151. Hingelymounted on the shaft 123 is the lock bar 124 having a vertical edge 156which engages a rightangled notch 157 formed on the locking pawl 154.Extending from the notch 157, the locking pawl 154 is provided with acurved surface 158. The locking pawl 154 is biased toward the wheel 148by a spring 159 connecting an arm on the pawl to the shaft 123. In asimilar way, the locking bar 124 is rotatably biased in the otherdirection by a spring 161 connecting a back edge of the bar to the shaft155. Located beneath the time stamp 122 on the shaft 117 are severalelements associated with the locking bar 124. These include a lockingbar release element 162 which is rotatably mounted on the shaft 117, alatch 163 which is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 64 extendingupwardly from the bottom of the pawl plate 118, and a cam plate 165which is fixed to the frame by the fact that the shafts 155 and 117 passthrough it. The locking bar 124 is provided with an extension 166 havinga vertical edge 167 which lies in a U-shaped notch 168 formed in therelease element 162. Almost diametrically opposite this notch 168 therelease element 162 is provided with a horn 169 which is engaged onoccasion by a hook 171 formed on the latch 163. The latch 163, as isevident in the drawing, is much thicker than the elements 162 so that itsubtends not only the thickness of the release element 162 but also thatof the cam plate 165, so that the end of its hook 171 rests and slidesalong an in-.

clined surface 172 formed on the plate 165. This surface has sufficientangularity to the radius extending outwardly from the shaft 117 to causethe hook 171 to feed radially outwardly on occasion to release itselffrom the horn 169.

The operation of the time recorder 10 will now be readily understood inview of the above description. In order to be operative, the motor 77must be connected electrically and the timers set by hand so that actualtime of day as well as the calendar date appear on the time stamp 122and the seconds wheel 116. The time of day will appear in the window 112because of the time wheels 43 showing through the window. When the timerecorder is used by a telephone operator to time long distance calls,she fills out her time card with the necessary information including thetelephone number of the caller, as well as the telephone number, name,and address of the called station. When the conversation begins, sheinserts the time card in the slot 15 and this stamps the date and timethat the conversation begins. When it terminates, she inserts the samecard in the slot 14 and presses the handle 16 to stamp it with anotherline indicative of the date and time of termination. These dates andtimes are stamped in parallel spaced lines on the card.

The operator notes that the white portion of the indicator 32 appearsthrough the aperture 19 in the top of the cover 12 indicating that anadequate supply of ribbon is coiled around the shaft 88. This is becausethe bellcrank (FIG. 11) resides in a position to follow the roll on theshaft 88 as its diameter decreases. Eventually, as the size of the rollof ribbon decreases, the red part of the indicator appears in theaperture and the operator knows it is time to change ribbons.

When a card has been placed either in the slot 15 or the slot 14,placing the card in the slot 15 means that a certain printing area onthe card is lined up with one of the slots 103 and 104 behind which isthe pad 101 on the hammer, which is directly lined up with the line ofcharacters on the time stamp 122 and the seconds wheel 139. Placing thecard in the slot 14 means that the card is moved toward the front of themachine and the same line appears at a spaced parallel position on thecard. The same motor 77 that is driving the time stamp 122 and theseconds wheel 139 is also driving the time clock wheels 43 through themedium of the timing belt 41 and associated gearing.

Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the downward pressure of thehandle 15 results in the plunger 25 moving downwardly despite the springbias from the spring 48. This downward movement of the plunger 25 causesthe end of the lever 49 to go down, while causing the end with the pivotpin 54 to go up. This presses the lever 55 upwardly and rotates theplate 57 in a counterclockwise direction. This has the effect of causingthe pawl 59 to engage a ratchet tooth 62 and to rotate the entireratchet wheel and paw] wheel assembly 72 about the shaft 58. Thisrotates the row of teeth and (referring to FIG. 8) the tooth 99 rides upthe inclined back edge of one of the cams causing the arm 67 and itscorresponding arm 68 to move away from the back wall of the framecarrying the hammer plate 66 with it. This winds up the spring 71 sothat considerable energy is stored. Eventually, the tooth 99 falls overthe straight edge of the cam and the hammer is thrown forcibly againstthe back wall of the frame. The pads 101 and 102 are thus thrustviolently through the slots 103 and 104 and they strike the time cardagainst the ribbon 87 and both of them against the time stamp 122 andthe seconds wheel 139, thus producing an image on the time card. Theleaf spring 72a is very weak compared to the spring 71 and the normallocation of the hammer plate 66 is such that the pads 101 and 102 arerearwardly of the back wall of the frame, so that it is possible towithdraw the time card without difficulty after the stroke of the hammerhas taken place.

At the same time that the clockwise rotation of the plate 57 operatedthe hammer plate 66, it also operated by means of the notch 74 and thefinger 75 to thrust the finger 75 to the righ in FIG. 5. This producedthe same right-hand motion of the bar 82 in FIG. 6, which had twoeffects. First of all, when the bar is returned, the pawl 89 engages theratchet 91 and causes the shaft 86 to turn incrementally and roll upsome of the ribbon 86, thus presenting a new ribbon surface to thestamping area. At the same time, it carried with it the bar 83 in movingto the right, and thus the finger 85 which engages the notch 145 on theplate 142 (see FIG. 14). This causes aligning up of the characters onthe seconds wheel 139, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The plate 57 is returned after the tooth 99 drops into the next valleyin the cam row 72 because of the spring 48 urging the plunger 25 intoits upward condition. Also, referring to FIG. 6, the spring 84 maintainsthe tooth 85 and the bar 83 in the right-hand position on the bar 82but, of course, the bar 82 is maintained to the right-hand position inbetween striking by the spring 48, as has been described. The motor 77operates continuously and rotates the shaft 35 continuously in themanner that has been described, irrespective of whether the handle 16 isever depressed or not. It serves to drive the gear 116 and the secondswheel 139 continuously while operating through the cam 119 to operatethe pawl plate 118 in a reciprocating swinging manner about the shaft117, thus causing its associated pawls to drive the time stamp 122 inthe well-known manner.

Referring to FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15, at the time the striking takesplace, the finger 85 on the bight 83 engages the notch 145 on the plate142 and thrusts it to the right. The cam 146 engages the star wheel 141and centers the star wheel and also places a character 148 in line withthe characters on the rest of the time stamp. This is necessary to givea clear image on the time card, so that the time card can be read byoptical scanning means. It not only assures that a single character andnot parts of two characters is printed, but also that the character isdirected directly along the line of stampings so that a clear image isproduced. The moving of the star wheel 141 and the seconds wheel 139also causes backward or forward rotation of the gear 116 which isassociated with them. This works back through the gear 114 to rotate thegear 113. At the same time that the gear 113 is being rotated, perhapsin a direction contrary to the normal direction that is driven by themotor 77, the motor continues to drive the shaft 35, so that the pins132 and 134 operate with the spring 147 to allow for this movement.After the movement has taken place, the spring restores the gear 113 toits former position plus a small time increment and this works backthrough the gear 114 and the gear 116 to return the seconds wheel 139 tothe position that it would have occupied if striking had not takenplace. This is due to the fact that the spring 147 acts to center andrestore to a given position the collars 131 and 129 as well as the gear113 and the washer 135.

FIG. 14 shows the situation that exists when the cam 146 moves the starwheel in an advanced condition, in which case it is returned backwardlylater, while FIG. 15 shows what happens when the cam 146 attracts thestar wheel (counterclockwise rotation) and returns it again to itsformer position.

In FIGS. 16 and 17, is illustrated the manner in which the wheels 149 ofthe time stamp 122 are locked between thrusts from the pawls 152. Itwill be understood that, with the type of time stamp used, only one pawlor the series of pawls is actually operating on a wheel at any giventime, so that, if all of the locking pawls 154 were released in order toallow the pawls 152 to operate, all but one of the wheels would be looseon the shaft and could vibrate to wrong positions. For that reason,although the locking bar 124 is released from the pawls, nevertheless,it will be understood that only one of the locking pawls 154 will bemoving outwardly.

As the pawl plate 118 swings about the shaft 117, it carries the shaft153 with it, and this carries the pawl 152 in a thrusting positioncircumferentially of the wheel 149 until it engages a notch and producesan incremental rotation of the wheel 149. Swinging of the pawl plate 118also carries with it the latch 163 whose hook 171 engages the horn 169on the release element 162. The release element, therefore, rotatesabout the shaft 117 and, eventually, swings to a position where thelatch bar 124 swings free of the notch 157 and the lock pawl 154. Thisallows the lock pawl to swing outwardly away from the ratchet wheel 149and free and slide along the land between the notches 151. This is insynchronization with the movement of the pawl 152 so that, as the pawlengages a notch 151 to rotate the ratchet wheel 149, the locking pawl154 is allowed to slide up out of the notch in which it resides. Asrotation takes place, the lower end of the hook 171 which is slidingalong the surface 172 of the cam plate begins to move radially outwardlyuntil it is free of the horn 169. Since the release element 162 is freeto rotate about the shaft 117, the spring 161 acts on the locking bar124 to rotate it back again carrying the element 162 with it. The edge156 of the locking bar slides along the surface 158 and, eventually,snaps into the notch 157 on the locking pawl and locks it in place sothat it cant move until the next cycle. This quarantees that the lockingpawl 154 does not sit on a land between notches on the ratchet wheel 149which would allow the ratchet wheel to move due to vibration and so on.It also prevents a plural tooth jumping which takes place under somecircumstances. It means that the lock bar 124 prevents the reverseturning of the wheel 149 due to the back drag of the pawl 152 whileusing only a light spring 159 on the locking pawl 154. If a strongspring were necessary to quarantee that the locking pawl did not operatewrongly, a much larger drive motor would be necessary and the size ofthe recorder would be much greater. All of this mechanism is, of course,to prevent the characters in the time stamp 122 from moving and itprevents plural teeth jumping and it prevents any locking pawl fromending It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of the invention without departing from the material spiritthereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to theexact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include allsuch as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new anddesired to secure by Letters Patent l. A time recorder, comprising:

a. a housing having a slot into which a time card can be introduced,

b. a time stamp located in the housing at one side of the plane of theslot,

0. a printing ribbon lying adjacent the time stamp,

d. a striking hammer located on the other side of the plane of the slot,

e. energy storage means associated with the hammer, the energy storagemeans including a main spring and a cam for loading the spring andsuddenly releasing it, and

f. means releasing the energy to urge the hammer toward the said planeto press the card against the printing ribbon and both the card and theribbon against the time stamp, a swingable handle being providedadjacent the said entrance and operating through a plunger and levers torotate a rotatable plate, the plate having a pawl which engages aratchet wheel to which is concentrically attached an annular row ofcams, and the hammer being mounted at the ends of arms which arehingedly connected at their other ends and which have a tooth in theirintermediate portions which engages the row of cams, the rotatable platehaving a notch which engages a finger on a reciprocable bar, the barhaving a finger which engages a notch on a reciprocable plate associatedwith the time stamp, so that operation of the handle serves to center acharacter on a wheel of the time stamp.

2. A time recorder as recited in claim 1, wherein the said arms areacted on by the main spring, and wherein a relatively light springresides between the hammer and the arms so that a time card can beinserted and removed from a position between the time stamp and theribbon on the one hand and the hammer on the other hand withoutdifficulty.

3. A time recorder comprising:

a. a housing having an entrance which a time card can be introduced, thehousing consisting of a time portion and a stamp portion, each portionbeing generally elongated, the portions being hingedly connected at oneend,

b. a time stamp mounted on a time stamp shaft located in the housing atone side of the plane of the entrance, the entrance consisting of twoparallel slots, each of such a length as to exactly receive the card,the slots being non-coextensive by a substantial amount, so that, whenthe card is introduced into one slot, a first position on the card liesbeside the time stamp and, when the card is introduced into the otherslot, a second position on the card lies beside the time stamp.

c. a printing ribbon lying adjacent the time stamp, d. a striking hammerlocated on the other side of the plane of the entrance, e. energystorage means associated with the hammer,

f. means releasing the energy to urge the hammer toward the said planeto press the card against the printing ribbon and both the card and theribbon against the time stamp,

g. a plurality of time wheels mounted on the time stamp shaft,

h. an electric motor mounted on the frame,

i. a pawl mechanism driven by the motor and operative through pawlsengaging ratchet wheels to index the wheels,

j. an additional wheel having a plurality of characters formed on itsperiphery mounted on the shaft and continuously driven by the motor,

k. means to bring the closest character on the additional wheel to aprinting position for printing in alignment with characters on the otherwheels, the means being operative after printing to return theadditional wheel to the position it would have occupied if printing hadnot taken place,

1. a locking pawl engaging a ratchet on each wheel,

in. a locking bar engaging a surface on each locking pawl to preventmovement of the wheel except when a pawl engages a ratchet forincremental motion,

n. a release element mounted on the shaft and engageable with thelocking bar, the release element being rotated about the shaft with thepawl mechanism and having a notch that envelopes an edge of the lockingbar and carries it away from the surface of the locking pawl duringrotation, and

o. a latch mechanism at the other ends of the portions of the housing tohold the portions together with the time stamp, the plane of the card,and the striking hammer in closely adjacent relationship.

4. A time recorder as recited in claim 3, wherein the energy storagemeans includes a main spring and a cam for loading the spring andsuddenly releasing it.

5. A time recorder as recited in claim 4, wherein a swingable handle isprovided adjacent the said entrance and operates through a plunger andlevers to rotate a rotable plate, wherein the plate has a pawl whichengages a ratchet wheel to which is concentrically attached an annularrow of cams, and where the hammer is mounted at the ends of arms whichare hingedly connected at their other ends and which have a tooth intheir intermediate portions which engage the row of cams.

6. A time recorder as recited in claim 5, wherein the said arms areacted on by the main spring, and wherein a relatively light springresides between the hammer and the arms so that a time card can beinserted and removed from a position between the time stamp and theribbon on the one hand and the hammer on the other hand withoutdifficulty.

7. A time recorder as recited in claim 6, wherein the rotatable platehas a notch which engages a finger on a reciprocable bar, the bar havinga finger which engages a notch on a reciprocable plate associated withthe time stamp, so that operation of the handle serves to center acharacter on a wheel of the time stamp.

8. A time recorder as recited in claim 3, wherein the hammer has astriking pad which is aligned with a line of characters on the timestamp, the time card being squeezed between the time stamp and aprinting ribbon on the one hand, and the striking pad on the other.

9. A time recorder as rectied in claim 3, wherein the said meansincludes a reciprocable plate overlying the said additional wheel andmovable at the time of printing, a pointed cam mounted on the plate forengagement with a star wheel mounted on the wheel.

10. A time recorder as recited in claim 9, wherein the motor drives theadditional wheel through a gear train that includes a lost-motion devicethat performs the above-recited function of returning the wheel.

11. A time recorder as recited in claim 10, wherein the device consistsof two spaced collars fastened to a driver shaft, a gear and a washerrotatably mounted on the shaft between the collars, a first peg fastenedto the gear and extending axially through a notch in the washer, asecond peg fastened to the washer and extending through an arcuate slotin the gear into a notch in one of the collars, and a torsion springcoiled around the shaft and having two ends each of which engages a pegto bias the two pegs and their respective gear and washer in differentdirection of rotation.

12. A time recorder as recited in claim 3, wherein the release elementhas a horn which is engaged by a hook element rotatably carried on thepawl mechanism, and wherein a cam plate is located adjacent the releaseelement and the hook element and having an inclined surface engaged bythe hook element to move it out of engagement with the horn as therotation of the release element advances.

13. A time recorder as recited in claim 12, wherein a light spring isconnected to bias the locking pawls into engagement with their wheels,and wherein a heavy spring is used to bias the locking bar intoengagement with the locking pawl surfaces.

14. A time recorder as recited in claim 3, wherein a finger on areciprocable bar in the stamp portion engages a notch on a reciprocableplate in the time portion when the portions are held together, theoperation of the striking hammer reciprocating the bar which, in turn,reciprocates the plate and centers a character on a wheel forming partof the time stamp.

15. A time recorder as recited in claim 14, wherein a printing ribbonextends over the side of the stamp portion facing the time portion, thereciprocation of the said bar during printing causing the ribbon to feedfrom one reel to another.

1. A time recorder, comprising: a. a housing having a slot into which atime card can be introduced, b. a time stamp located in the housing atone side of the plane of the slot, c. a printing ribbon lying adjacentthe time stamp, d. a striking hammer located on the other side of theplane of the slot, e. energy storage means associated with the hammer,the energy storage means including a main spring and a cam for loadingthe spring and suddenly releasing it, and f. means releasing the energyto urge the hammer toward the said plane to press the card against theprinting ribbon and both the card and the ribbon against the time stamp,a swingable handle being provided adjacent the said entrance andoperating through a plunger and levers to rotate a rotatable plate, theplate having a pawl which engages a ratchet wheel to which isconcentrically attached an annular row of cams, and the hammer beingmounted at the ends of arms which are hingedly connected at their otherends and which have a tooth in their intermediate portions which engagesthe row of cams, the rotatable plate having a notch which engages afinger on a reciprocable bar, the bar having a finger which engages anotch on a reciprocable plate associated with the time stamp, so thatoperation of the handle serves to center a character on a wheel of thetime stamp.
 2. A time recorder as recited in claim 1, wherein the saidarms are acted on by the main spring, and wherein a relatively lightspring resides between the hammer and the arms so that a time card canbe inserted and removed from a position between the time stamp and theribbon on the one hand and the hammer on the other hand withoutdifficulty.
 3. A time recorder comprising: a. a housing having anentrance which a time card can be introduced, the housing consisting ofa time portion and a stamp portion, each portion being generallyelongated, the portions being hingedly connected at one end, b. a timestamp mounted on a time stamp shaft located in the housing at one sideof the plane of the entrance, the entrance consisting of two parallelslots, each of such a length as to exactly receive the card, the slotsbeing non-coextensive by a substantial amount, so that, when the card isintroduced into one slot, a first position on the card lies beside thetime stamp and, when the card is introduced into the other slot, asecond position on the card lies beside the time stamp. c. a printingribbon lying adjacent the time stamp, d. a striking hammer located onthe other side of the plane of the entrance, e. energy storage meansassociated with the hammer, f. means releasing the energy to urge thehammer toward the said plane to press the card against the printingribbon and both the card and the ribbon against the time stamp, g. aplurality of time wheels mounted on the time stamp shaft, h. an electricmotor mounted on the frame, i. a pawl mechanism driven by the motor andoperative through pawls engaging ratchet wheels to index the wheels, j.an additional wheel having a plurality of characters formed on itsperiphery mounted on the shaft and continuously driven by the motor, k.means to bring the closest character on the additional wheel to aprinting position for printing in alignment with characters on the otherwheels, the means being operative after printing to return theadditional wheel to the position it would have occupied if printing hadnot taken place, l. a locking pawl engaging a ratchet on each wheel, m.a locking bar engaging a surface on each locking pawl to preventmovement of the wheel except when a pawl engages a ratchet forincremental mOtion, n. a release element mounted on the shaft andengageable with the locking bar, the release element being rotated aboutthe shaft with the pawl mechanism and having a notch that envelopes anedge of the locking bar and carries it away from the surface of thelocking pawl during rotation, and o. a latch mechanism at the other endsof the portions of the housing to hold the portions together with thetime stamp, the plane of the card, and the striking hammer in closelyadjacent relationship.
 4. A time recorder as recited in claim 3, whereinthe energy storage means includes a main spring and a cam for loadingthe spring and suddenly releasing it.
 5. A time recorder as recited inclaim 4, wherein a swingable handle is provided adjacent the saidentrance and operates through a plunger and levers to rotate a rotableplate, wherein the plate has a pawl which engages a ratchet wheel towhich is concentrically attached an annular row of cams, and where thehammer is mounted at the ends of arms which are hingedly connected attheir other ends and which have a tooth in their intermediate portionswhich engage the row of cams.
 6. A time recorder as recited in claim 5,wherein the said arms are acted on by the main spring, and wherein arelatively light spring resides between the hammer and the arms so thata time card can be inserted and removed from a position between the timestamp and the ribbon on the one hand and the hammer on the other handwithout difficulty.
 7. A time recorder as recited in claim 6, whereinthe rotatable plate has a notch which engages a finger on a reciprocablebar, the bar having a finger which engages a notch on a reciprocableplate associated with the time stamp, so that operation of the handleserves to center a character on a wheel of the time stamp.
 8. A timerecorder as recited in claim 3, wherein the hammer has a striking padwhich is aligned with a line of characters on the time stamp, the timecard being squeezed between the time stamp and a printing ribbon on theone hand, and the striking pad on the other.
 9. A time recorder asrectied in claim 3, wherein the said means includes a reciprocable plateoverlying the said additional wheel and movable at the time of printing,a pointed cam mounted on the plate for engagement with a star wheelmounted on the wheel.
 10. A time recorder as recited in claim 9, whereinthe motor drives the additional wheel through a gear train that includesa lost-motion device that performs the above-recited function ofreturning the wheel.
 11. A time recorder as recited in claim 10, whereinthe device consists of two spaced collars fastened to a driver shaft, agear and a washer rotatably mounted on the shaft between the collars, afirst peg fastened to the gear and extending axially through a notch inthe washer, a second peg fastened to the washer and extending through anarcuate slot in the gear into a notch in one of the collars, and atorsion spring coiled around the shaft and having two ends each of whichengages a peg to bias the two pegs and their respective gear and washerin different direction of rotation.
 12. A time recorder as recited inclaim 3, wherein the release element has a horn which is engaged by ahook element rotatably carried on the pawl mechanism, and wherein a camplate is located adjacent the release element and the hook element andhaving an inclined surface engaged by the hook element to move it out ofengagement with the horn as the rotation of the release elementadvances.
 13. A time recorder as recited in claim 12, wherein a lightspring is connected to bias the locking pawls into engagement with theirwheels, and wherein a heavy spring is used to bias the locking bar intoengagement with the locking pawl surfaces.
 14. A time recorder asrecited in claim 3, wherein a finger on a reciprocable bar in the stampportion engages a notch on a reciprocable plate in the time portion whenthe portions are held together, the operation of the striking haMmerreciprocating the bar which, in turn, reciprocates the plate and centersa character on a wheel forming part of the time stamp.
 15. A timerecorder as recited in claim 14, wherein a printing ribbon extends overthe side of the stamp portion facing the time portion, the reciprocationof the said bar during printing causing the ribbon to feed from one reelto another.